janvier 2009

29/01/2009

These transparent Solar Cells establish a connection between the inside and the outside of a building: When looked at from the outside, they act as a one-sided protection against the sun and from view. From the inside, their transparency provides a complete view of the outside. The incoming daylight is not distorted, thus creating a open, bright atmosphere. The shading effect reduces the energy consumption required for cooling buildings with transparent façades. The up-to-date, aesthetic material and the various available colours (blue, black, grey, purple) open up a wealth of applications.

The Reee chair was conceived by Pli as the answer to many customers' requests for an affordable, ergonomic chair made from recycled plastic for domestic and contract use. Pli has developed a unique supply chain in order to capture the value of high-quality plastic used by a leading brand games console manufacturer.
Why use games consoles? New European Communities legislation, called the Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment directive (WEEE) requires electronics manufacturers to manage the reprocessing of the materials that come from their used products. The Reee chair takes advantage of this new source of plastic: high quality and from a single source.

Sharklet Technologies, LLC, an Alachua, Fla. firm, says that they have figured out a new way to control infections on artificial surfaces. After extensively studying shark's skin, the company says its proprietary Sharklet™ surface technology can control the growth of microorganisms and bacteria including Staph aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and E. coli. The most interesting thing about the Sharklet™ is that the antibacterial properties of the surface come not from the chemicals but rather from the shape and microscopic pattern alone. The company says that its surface is comprised of "billions of tiny raised bars arranged in a specific diamond pattern," and this technology can literally be embedded onto the surfaces of medical devices such as catheters or artificial hips, as well as medical care equipment such as hospital beds, or even door knobs.

SANYO Electric Co. and Warner Mycal Corp, Time Warner's cinema operator in Japan, have been installing SANYO's large scale humidifying air purification systems in Warner's theaters.
The packaged rooftop air conditioner unit equipped with an air purification system featuring ‘virus washer’ technology has already been installed in 5 screens at 4 Warner Mycal Cinemas theaters thus far. The ‘virus washer’ function effectively suppresses airborne bacteria, viruses, pollen and odors using electrolyzed water produced by decomposing tap water with an electric current. The effectivness of electrolyzed water in this capacity has been proven by testing laboratories in various locations throughout the world (please see reference material 1). This technology is also installed in SANYO’s home air purification systems and humidifiers, portable air purifiers as well as commercial-grade air purification systems. With a broad product lineup and range, SANYO provides a clean air environmental solution for a variety of scenes ranging from the bedside of sleeping babies to spacious rooms where the public often frequent.
An experiment demonstrating the effect of the packaged rooftop air conditioner unit equipped with the air purification system already installed in 5 screens of the Warner Mycal Cinemas confirms that airborne bacteria was decreased in all screen areas, with purification levels equivalent to a bioclean room (please see reference material 2). The test installment has been received favorably by theater patrons, who have made comments on the difference in the quality of air (please see reference material 3). The additional installment concluding the exclusive agreement would allow the cinemas to welcome more guests for a safe and comfortable movie experience.

27/01/2009

Boon Edam introduces the world’s first energy generating revolving door
Royal Boon Edam Group Holding has proved, once again, to be the world leader in entrance technology with their latest feature in revolving doors. Boon Edam developed an energy generating revolving door for the Driebergen-Zeist railway station in The Netherlands, which not only saves energy but also generates energy with every person passing through the door.

Environmentally-friendly Kohler Steward waterless urinals offer commercial and residential environments a fresh new design aesthetic while also conserving water resources. The Steward is cartridge-free and utilises a sealing liquid in the trapway that allows urine to pass through. Once the liquid waste has passed through, the less dense sealing liquid maintains its position at the top of the trapway, thus providing an impermeable barrier that blocks odours. The geometry of the urinal not only provides a fresh, architectural design, but also virtually eliminates splashing. Additionally, the touch-free operation improves hygiene for all users and is more vandal-resistant due to the absence of a flush valve. The Steward waterless urinal is available in two models: Steward S represents a clean, minimalist line and is appropriate for new buildings or extensive remodels while the Steward waterless urinal has a large footprint that is suitable for retrofitting.

The roof and outer walls are intensively exposed to the sunlight in real summer, of which surface temperatures rise increasingly, as will also cause the room temperature to be elevated. And this will have various negative effects on working, living etc. AnZ Ceramic Coat H-One will provide effective countermeasures against such a heat elevation. Just apply it to the roof and outer walls, it controls the surface temperature thereof due to solar heat, and subsequently prevents the excessive heat from entering your room. And consequently, it will save your electricity charge for cooling economically and provides you with an amenity space ecologically.

FloDesign Wind Turbine, a spin-off from the aerospace company FloDesign based in Wilbraham, MA, has developed a wind turbine that could generate electricity at half the cost of conventional turbines. The company recently raised $6 million in its first round of venture financing and has announced partnerships with wind-farm developers.
The company's design, which draws on technology developed for jet engines, circumvents a fundamental limit to conventional wind turbines. Typically, as wind approaches a turbine, almost half of the air is forced around the blades rather than through them, and the energy in that deflected wind is lost. At best, traditional wind turbines capture only 59.3 percent of the energy in wind, a value called the Betz limit.
FloDesign surrounds its wind-turbine blades with a shroud that directs air through the blades and speeds it up, which increases power production. The new design generates as much power as a conventional wind turbine with blades twice as big in diameter. The smaller blade size and other factors allow the new turbines to be packed closer together than conventional turbines, increasing the amount of power that can be generated per acre of land.

To make wind power useful when the wind isn’t blowing, power companies need utility-scale energy storage—but batteries that big aren’t yet practical. One option is to use wind power to compress air for storage in tanks or caverns underground, then use the air to run a generator. That’s the goal of the Iowa Stored Energy Park in Dallas Center, Iowa, where site testing of recently drilled wells will be completed next year. The technology is also part of the design for the world’s largest wind farm, a 3000-megawatt project planned for Briscoe County in Texas.

Regions and cities in the United States and around the world are developing new tools and strategies for linking the environment to economic development. For much of the past, it was assumed that environmental progress and economic development were at odds. The environment was viewed as a source of raw materials and energy and a place to dispose of industrial wastes. Often, it was thought that environmental progress generated costs that came at the expense of wealth generation, industrial expansion, and jobs.

But, today, the environment is increasingly seen as a key element of economic development. Innovative cities and regions are forging new strategies for integrating environmental assets into their economic development agendas by targeting environmental technology firms, supporting efforts to implement advanced pollution prevention technology in industry, positioning firms to tap into rapidly growing green markets, and improving their quality of life through investments in their environmental amenities or natural capital. Across the world, many regions have sought to unify their economic development, social, and environmental agendas under the rubric, "sustainable development".

To both help motivate and monitor their ongoing efforts, regions are developing new measures, indicators and benchmarking systems - referred to as environmental/sustainability indicators - to chart their progress toward joint economic, social, and environmental goals.

This report examines leading regional efforts around the United States to develop environmental or sustainable development strategies, focusing on regional projects on environmental performance/sustainable indicators.

12/01/2009

The rainy city of Concepción, is located in the mouth of the Bío-Bío River, 520 Km south of Santiago. It has aprox. 220.000 inhabitants, but its threshold spans reaches some 630.000 people. The highlights of its economy are the elaboration of steel and the wood industry, both on wide exporting booms. We were asked to design a branch of the ‘Consorcio Nacional de Seguros’, National Insurance Consortium, in a corner site, in front of the only historic and antique church in Concepción, whose façade had been unfortunately reconstructed after an earthquake. Furthermore, it had a front fenced square that impoverished its quality and public character.